Northern Ash HM Strat project

[Tone Slinger]

In my hard Ash/floyd rose Warmoth build (two piece maple/maple neck), A Seymour Duncan 'Custom Custom' works best. As compared to my DSD (2010 era) the 'CC' is warmer and middier with the high end being not so sharp. The DSD is harder sounding and the hi end is almost too sharp in this guitar. The dual truss rod design in this Warmoth neck ('modern' construction) imo, has such metal mass that the overall tone is affected. When comparing pu's in guitars with single acting vintage rod necks (like my Warmoth CBS 'vintge/modern'), the results are less dramatic, cause the neck is warmer/less bright. 9k stewMac with a2 is great, but slightly brighter/clearer, 12k stewmac (I put a2 in it as well) is like the 'CC' only a little brighter.
My advice is to steer clear from Modern style necks (too much metal mass in the rods) . With hard ash, the hi end is inherently there.Subdue it a hair by a slightly thicker vintage style neck. I'd say go for a Alnico 2 mag pu. The '78, 'CC' or EVH Frankenstein models are good. A Dimarzio 'Tone Zone' might also be a good choice. Putting an alnico 2 in a JB is another option (I think that is similar to DeMartini's pu).

[stef]

For the Pasadena Civic live sound I like the 250k(or 300K) Volume pot (no tone pot) - that value provides the thickness and right sounding mids. The 500k gives the VH II edge.

[mightymike]

I have a JB as well. It's in a Swamp Ash/KOA top Strat Scale guitar.. And in the sound clips in my signature below. Funny how different it sounds from Ralle's first clips here back in 04-05. My spec was very close to his, except lower screens, my playing is not as good obviously, but I feel like it's really more gainy. More FW tone, whereas I considered his stuff back then more VH2 ( or VH1 without all the effects)

His was a original 68, where mine has M E R R E N trannys, and a Aluminum Chassis.. Different tubes. Possibly different body wood, different tubes.

Even 2 Identicle setups might sound different, but the sum of part compound.

On another note regarding JB.. There are a handful of Duncan pickups that the only difference is the magnet. So you can make a JB(Sh4) a SH5, or maybe even a Custom Custom just by changing them. I had the lost on my old comp before it crashed.

It's been so long since I installed the Darburst in my HM. I'll have to look at the pot choice. Maybe I'll put a resister on a switch to A/B 250/500 pot on the fly.

[Tone Slinger]

The pu is a part of it obviously. I think that higher output pu's are a bit easier to get at early Ed-tone than weaker ones, BUT, I think that the Duncan '78 is about the best I've heard overall for live '78 to VHII era (9k with the screw coil wound slightly hotter, a2 magnet). Suhr has a similar pu that I believe Al Estrada uses on a guitar of his (though he also uses a '78).On the '78 tour up to and including the second album, Ed got that super warm tone like on the 1st album, yet, got more of that real natural strat twang and clarity,like the second solo in 'Bottoms Up'. Its funny,but just the pu can do that,and that '78 Duncan seems to be exactly what Ed had then (early '78 up to at least the second tour). I guess there is some validity to the Duncan '78.

Your right about the Duncans. A JB is the same as a distortion (both are 16k), only the magnet is different (A5 vs.Ceramic).
The 'Custom' is the same as the 'Custom Custom' and 'Custom 5'. All three are 14k (ceramic,A2, A5).

[mightymike]

To my ears I hear the different guitars on VH1... YRGM = Destroyer- Super distortion type.. (Jb would work). .. ATBL= Black and White - 9.6k Asymetrical wind... Darkburst, Blackbelt 2

VH2- SH5 sounds real close

YRMV and my opinions are always subject to further testing

[Tone Slinger]

Asymetrical, does that mean that one coil is wound hotter than the other ?

[JimiJames]

Asymetrical, does that mean that one coil is wound hotter than the other ?

Those pics are from my site. All of those are machine wound with mechanical traverse machines. They are not asymmetrical from a computer program or from hand guiding. I mainly concentrate on making repros and the asymmetrical coil is one of many details that can crop up with vintage machine wound pickups like P.A.F.'s and P-90's. Particularly with P.A.F.'s I sometimes build in this variation between the two coils. Tonally what does it do? An asymmetrical coil will have a little random scatter built into it because the windings kind of have to find there own place on the coil because the traverse is not adjusted to the optimum stops. This reduces capacitance a little. One of those shapes reduces the capacitance by quite a bit and it does make for a more detailed low end. But with most of those shapes tonal difference is marginal. But I do think that particularly with a P.A.F. it is one variable among many that can add little more tonal complexity to a humbucker. You get just a little difference in the aperture between the two coils which I think.

On thing that is important to say is you do get a different sound from uniform or asymmetrical coils that are machine wound than you do from similar looking coils that are hand wound. the machine wound coil is relentless in repeating each layer. That includes repeating small imprecisions in traverse layer after layer. These shapes slowly build through the coil in a way that you cannot do by hand.

[mightymike]

I guess I was wrong all these years. I though it meant that both halves of the pickup weren't identical. Therefore not cancelling out the hum and rolling off the highs as much. I got that idea for the guys that combine different pickups like a 59 on one side and a Sh5 on the other type of deal.

My Darkburst is Assymetrical wind

[Tone Slinger]

Cool read, thanks